


A Delicate Situation

by JacksWild



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Coworkers - Freeform, Getting Together, M/M, Ministry, Set Up, arurors, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-20 21:11:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14902080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JacksWild/pseuds/JacksWild
Summary: Harry is used to fighting hard and living every day in the moment. How will he act when it's all on the line?





	A Delicate Situation

A Delicate Situation 

“Look ‘Mione, I can’t just walk right up and start talking to him! It’s been ages since we’ve shared more than a passing remark in the corridor. I am fine, it’s fine!” 

“Harry James, if it was fine, it wouldn’t be brought up every time we sit for a fireside chat. You need to do something or get over it. What is the favorite muggle colloquialism? Shit or get off the pot!” 

“… ‘Mione, did you just curse at Harry?” 

“Yes, maybe something will get through that thick skull of his.” 

“Guys, seriously. I will stop talking about it – him. I’m sorry, anyway, Ron what do you think of the chances for the Canons in this year’s playoffs?” 

Harry knew that the conversation would quickly sidle away from the topic at hand, and he wasn’t shocked when it did. Nor when Hermione filled in comments here and there, having become a Harpy’s fan when Ginny joined the team, the year previous. He sat back and nursed his ale. He hadn’t meant to bring him up again, but honestly, there was something rather enigmatic about the bloke that caused him to rattle about in his mind all the time. 

By the time the night was over, Harry had nearly forgotten the lapse in judgment to bring the man up in the conversation and was waving his friends off as he stepped through the floo to his house. He threw his coat on the hook, unbuttoned his shirt and dropped clothing as he made his way to his room. He had to be at work in precisely ten hours, which means he had to be awake in seven hours and that meant he had time for a wank in the morning. 

He drifted off to sleep with thoughts of an older man, long fingers, and a tapered nose along the length of his neck. 

*^*^*

He woke up and threw on his gym gear as he jolted for the floo, he was always a bit late which is why his first alarm was always hours before he had to be anywhere. He thanked every deity known to man that he’d talked Kingsley into connecting his floo at home to the floo in his office, citing security concerns had been a brilliant add by Hermione that he had never been more grateful for. 

He tumbled out of the floo, used a charm on his laces and ran down to the shared gym for the aurors and ministry personnel. 

“Seamus! Ready for a rematch?” He yelled as he slapped Deans back and gave him a wink. He felt the sizzle of a burning hex just in time to narrowly avoid it. “Save it for the field, you Scottish Fire Hazard!” 

He laughed as he made his way past the aurors and miscellaneous ministry workers. He said hello to a few and nodded to others, keeping mostly to himself before breaking through the doors to the large indoor field that was used for Defense and magic training. 

“Potter, you’ve been drafted for my team this morning. Are you ready to go?” Malfoy said, crisp, tight, black shirt fitting snuggly with loose basketball shorts. 

‘Malfoy, of course. We’ve got what? Ten minutes? Let me stretch a bit and I’ll meet you over with the others.” He moved to the pile of mats that littered the stretching area and got in position to stretch out his lower obliques. He relished the tightness of his muscles and felt the strength in his arms as he levered himself up into a free floating handstand. 

“Hello Mr. Potter, have you seen Mr. Malfoy this morning?” 

Harry tumbled forward and hit his head on the bar protruding from the wall. “Shit! Yeah, sorry, Sir – Snape, Mr. Snape. He’s over with the black shirts. Look for the platinum blond pale man in the crowd. Head there.” He said holding his head gingerly and keeping his eyes focused squarely on the ground. 

“Very well, carry on.” 

Harry could swear he heard the smirk in his voice and mumbled a curse before finishing his stretches, obstinately staring the opposite direction the rest of the time before the bell sounded and he headed over to the group. 

“Alright boys, we have 30 minutes and no rules this morning. Robards has set up a parameter around the facility so we are good to go and all ministry personnel that are not partaking in the skirmish have been banned. You know the drill – green shirts are the enemy. We take them down anyway we know how. Put up a tracer if you are hit but can still fight, put up a beacon if you are hit and are out for the match. Get into position. We go with the bell tolls twice.” 

Everyone smiled and took their places, Harry smiling as the sweat was beginning to glisten off his shoulders and down his spine. They’d turned up the heat in the facility – just his type of atmosphere. He moved to get behind a tree and climbed up as quick as possible. His shield charm already in place, making him impossible to see. He took position and scouted three green shirts and four of his own men. Just as the bell tolled the first time he noted that Snape was in the balcony looking on with Robards and Kingsley and other high ministry officials. 

The bell tolled twice and the match was on. Inside of the first 50 seconds Harry had taken out three of the green shirts and had lit another two up for his team to take down. His position had been compromised in the process and he moved from one tree to another, utilizing a swing and grab to get from branch to branch. He sheathed his wand and concentrated hard making the tree grow taller and another four branches appeared allowing him to get to a higher position. He scouted out and noticed that Brown was going to be coming up on two green shirts if he didn’t assist, he focused on a mirror spell behind both of the green shirts and noted when Brown took aim and shot at the mirror, she aimed it just right so that it ricocheted off and hit one of the green shirts and the other came out of hiding just in time for Harry to hit them with a stinging hex. Brown took them down quickly after that. He jumped up to the next branch and opened the leaves up just as a hex came barreling past his head and hit the bark behind him. He quickly maneuvered down the branches, moving to the back of the tree and landed swiftly on the ground. 

His shield was up and he was on high alert, a piercing scream came from roughly 20 feet to the left and he was off. He stayed light on his toes, moving swiftly but lightly until he came up on the scene. McMillan, Townsend and Gerber, all green shirts were crowded around Patil who was laying on the ground, her arm bloody and broken. His shield was still up but he knew that the moment he made a move he’d have to lower it to get at least two of them. He was about to take aim when he saw Malfoy come up on the other side of the clearing, he whispered a spell and Malfoy could see him clearly where the others still could not. He motioned at Townsend and Gerber and Malfoy nodded and looked at McMillan. 

Three, two, one – he dropped his shield and with a double bat bogey and searing boils hex he took them both down and with two petrificus spells their beacons went up. He heard Malfoy taking care of the other as he ran to Patil. 

“You alright? What’s hurting?”

“Broken arm, twisted ankle.” 

“Os lapsi sarcire ruinas” he whispered and a orange light filled the air around her arm. He swiftly picked her up and deposited her behind a large bush. “Stay here for the next 7 minutes. Do not move. Allow the magic to work. If you move now you risk a longer healing time that could take you out of the field. Do I make myself clear?” 

“Clear and glass, Captain.” She said and she looked down seriously at her arm. “You’ll have to teach me that spell…” 

“When we get done here, maybe I will.” He put up a general shield around her and moved out of the brush. 

“Malfoy,” he whispered and had his wand in hand when the platinum blond moved from behind the nearest tree. “Update.” 

“Eight of ours are out. Patil and McSween are injured but still in. Green shirts are down to four on the field. It’s you and me until the other two heal themselves.”

“Okay. You can still do that stalking spell right?” 

“…yes, why?” 

“Aim it for the back of Seamus, let him think we are behind him. I got Dean. I will meet you by the Magnolia in six minutes… Patil you hear me?” He said looking at Malfoy who was already concentrating on casting the spell. 

“Aye Captain.” She whispered.

“I don’t know about McSween but I think that with us in the middle and Patil healed to meet us there, we should be set. Ready?” 

“As I’ll ever be, Potter.” 

“Good.” He slapped Malfoy on the ass and moved back out to the parameter keeping low but moving fast, he looked up to see if the crowd was still thick in the viewers box but caught the eye of Snape. He looked…. Unreadable, as always. He very nearly ran into a tree and shook his head to get back in gear. 

He felt before heard the lanky figure of Dean edging through the brush. He moved with the grace of a panther and Harry knew that he would get one shot to take him down. He enjoyed Dean. He brought in training from his time in Africa that kept Harry on his toes. He was a fair fight, one he didn’t always win, but today he was prepared. 

He concentrated and twittered like a bird, paying attention for the footsteps, and noting when the faltered. He moved the spell to twitter again a few feet down in the opposite direction, keeping where he was. Dean was brilliant, and he may not fall for the trap. 

Harry was pleased when he didn’t. He saw the tall brown skinned man as he moved forward towards him, but his shield was still firmly in place. He stood up and whispered “un co terra coa pedra” and smiled when the stone started moving up Deans legs, trapping his feet in the earth. 

“You bastard…” he heard Dean mutter as he blasted off a spell. A litany of snakes crawled towards Harry but he smiled and told them to move elsewhere. 

“Need to try something different next time! You keep forgetting snakes are not my enemy!” He laughed and cast Petrificus Totalus on Dean. “Good one though, you should still teach me that one!” He said as he moved away from the clearing just as Deans beacon went up. He cast a tempus and counted down, he had three minutes to get to the clearing on time. He moved low and kept aware, and smiled when Patil moved up next to him. “Your stealthing is getting better.” He whispered and smiled when she rolled her eyes. 

“Malfoy going to meet us there?” she asked timidly.

“I didn’t see his beacon.” 

They came up to the clearing just as Malfoy came running in, Harry and Padma’s wands at the ready, Malfoy, noting them, slammed to the ground and Harry and Padma both cast hexes on Dwight and Scherer as they followed swiftly behind. They both went down and their beacons went up. 

“Malfoy, you solid?!” Harry asked moving in a flanking position, Padma to his side, as Malfoy got up and covered his other. “Yes, bloody prats kept hitting me with Dancing Hexes.” Harry sputtered and yelled out a curse when he was narrowly hit with a blasting jinx. 

“Nine O’clock, we’ve got company.” 

“Seamus, you outlasted your team this time, congratulations.” Malfoy taunted and deftly avoided being hit with a acid curse. 

“Seamus Finnigan, you come out here this moment you Wiley Fire-Breathing Heathen!” Padma yelled and was immediately hit with a blinding jinx. “You son of a bitch! I better not lose my sight permanently you Scottish toad.” She mumbled going down but her beacon not showing. 

Harry took in his surroundings and focused on his breathing. He took a step towards Malfoy and grasped for his hand. “Remember, daisy from dukes?” he muttered, keeping an eye out at all times. 

“Yes.” 

“Don’t get distracted.” 

Harry stepped away and focused on his aura, taking a moment to cast a strong shield and blocking everyone but Padma and Malfoy from seeing him. He took a breath and muttered the strongest glamor he knew. 

His features shifted and changed, breasts growing large his legs slimmer, more dainty, his hair long and flowing and curly. His face taking on the appearance of a young woman with clear blue eyes. He winked at Draco who rolled his eyes but the smile was unable to be hidden. He waited for the blond to cast a couple of charms making his shirt several times too small and his shorts nearly nonexistent. Just as he was finished he looked down, “I’m going to counter his hex Padma, but you might not like what you see. Just stay calm okay?” 

“What did you do, Harry?” She muttered as he cast the counter spell on her. Her eyes cleared just in time to catch his and she scoped his entire look, her laugh was high and light. “Oh that’s bloody brilliant, that is.” 

“Ok, both of you, you should have about three minutes. Get into a high vantage point. I am going to hide and wait him out, but be prepared in case he has any of his normal tricks.” 

They both nodded and with one last smirk from Malfoy he turned around and noted the flash of ginger hair on the fair side of the clearing. He moved to the Magnolia tree and leaned against it, just as Malfoy and Patil cleared the tall grass he dropped his spell. 

“Mighty gods, Harry, you going to hide in that shield all day?” He heard Seamus holler from the tall grass. 

“No, but I figure if you aren’t going to come out and play, then why should I let myself be fair game?” His voice was his own for now, that was the last part of the spell that he would cast when Seamus came into view. 

“Oh you want to battle head on then do ya?” He heard the brush clear and the footsteps on the rocks as he cast the voice changing. 

He let out a scream and fell to his knees his arms and legs covered in bruises and scrapes. He let himself tear up from the burning sensation of his bare knees scraping the stone ground and looked up at Seamus. 

“”What the bloody fucking ‘ell?” Seamus ran up to him and leaned in, “You alright lass? What are you doing in here?” 

“I… I don’t know. I was walking on Soho and Glenn Valley when suddenly I was here. I haven’t a clue where I am, and there was this man, he was doing something evil!! He had a…a…” she looked down and noticed the wand for the first time in the ginger mans hands, she moved to stumble back and pointed. “He had a wand! What… what is this, where am I?!” She started crying loudly now, her tears falling down her face as she curled into a protective ball around her core. 

“Lass, you are alright. You just went and hit your head. Let’s get you to a doctor, yeah?” Seamus said, Harry heard him mutter about poorly executed curses as he sheathed his wand. “Alright, my bonny wee lass, let’s get you out of here, sound good?” He said, moving towards her – just as he went to help her up, Harry jabbed him in the solar plexus and then hit an elbow to his nose. Just as Seamus was reaching for his wand Harry muttered a rope jinx and Seamus went down with a loud crack as his head his the ground. The lights in the facility came up and Harry knew that his team had won. 

He moved to levitated Seamus to the infirmary just off the facility and gathered with his team. 

“Look at you!” 

“Hey sexy lady!” 

“Wanna be my date tonight, cutie!?” 

Harry blushed and laughed as the guys and girls gave him a hard time. 

“Good job Potter, I thought for sure that Seamus would see right through that ploy, but it appears you know him too well.” Malfoy said, as he gave Harry a good once over. “But I am taking some credit, you wouldn’t have gotten far without my choice in clothing for you.” He smirked and tipped his head forward in a mock bow. 

“Fine, next time I dress you up and see if your bollocks like the tight fit!” Harry said, laughing his arse off as he turned to head to the locker room. 

“Good show out there, Mr. Potter.” Harry stopped in his tracks and mentally exploded into a thousand pieces. “I never took you for a man who dressed in drag. But it appears that there is quite a bit I didn’t know about you.” 

Harry looked up and smiled, counting down until he could die in the locker room. “Yes, sir. Anything to make sure that I come out on top.” He said, and nearly hit himself for the possible double innuendo. 

“Of course. I wonder, though how you would act if you were ever truly on the bottom… I’m sure I’ll never have a possibility to see such a fate. Have a good day, Mr. Potter.” 

Harry felt every part of his body tingling as he moved to the showers. He took one last glimpse at the dark haired man of his dreams and sighed just as he hit the wall. 

“I’ve seriously got to get laid.” He mumbled to himself. 

“Potter, a word.” Malfoy said, a towel tied neatly around his waist. 

“Sure, what’s up?” Harry said, casting the counter to the glamour and waiting for himself to come through so that he could undress and take a shower himself. 

“I see the way that you look at him.” 

“Wha - who? What?!” He said, immediately opening up the locker and taking his toiletries out. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Don’t be daft, you are clearly pining for him. You have been for the last three years. Though Merlin knows, I am sure it goes back farther than that.” Malfoy moved in and shut Harry’s locker, crowding his space. “I am going to tell you this once, if you fuck this up I will make you pay dearly. You and I might be friends now, but in no way would that ever trump what I have and will continue to have with Severus.” Malfoy waited and Harry nodded, more confused than anything. “Good. Severus gets off every Monday night at 1900pm. He goes to the Lady Veronica on Main and has a port as he reads the news of the day. He doesn’t talk to anyone, and accepts no offers given to him. Every other day of the week he goes home and makes potions that he sells to St. Mungos and distributes here free of charge at the ministry. He doesn’t have a personal life. He doesn’t date and he doesn’t seek one offs. He enjoys his time to himself, but he longs, like every red blooded man, for companionship. If I know you at all, and I daresay I know you well enough. I think you might be looking for more than a one off in the shower after a facility match, am I right?” 

Harry nodded again, thoughts racing in his head but waiting until Draco was finished. 

“He looks at you, but he never sees you looking back. Fix that. Make a move. He never will. If you don’t then you are more of a fool than I ever thought you could be.” 

And with that, Malfoy moved off and walked away. Leaving Harry to contemplate just what he did to deserve a chance like this, and if it was worth all the anxiety of hope.

*^*^*

The day passed by in a blur as most Mondays are wont to do. Harry had to read several reports from his aurors as he set up trainings and kept up with meetings all day. Being Lead Auror and working with Robards and Kingsley and other highly trained personnel wasn’t hard but it was taxing. He had fought hard for his position, working long days and longer nights over the previous five years since his graduation from the Auror Academy to get where he was. He made sure, however to clear his schedule after 1700. Making sure to have enough time to go home and shower and change. It appeared he had an appointment at the Lady Veronica tonight, and if he waited he would lose what little nerve he had. 

He called in Hermione from the Dept. of Mysteries to ask her what she knew of the establishment that he was to go to that night, though he was clear to let her know that it was part of an investigation and he couldn’t convey any more than that. After years of them both working the ministry, she understood and didn’t ask questions. This was how Harry learned that the Lady Veronica was a premier gay men’s club. They specialized in reading rooms, tea rooms, burlesque shows, high end bars and even had dancing. Though it was black listed and you had to have an invite. 

He called in Malfoy after Hermione left and sat back in his chair, waiting until the blond showed himself. 

“Yes, Potter.” 

“I have to have an invite to get into the Lady Veronica.” He didn’t wait for preamble, it was nearing 5 and he needed to be prepared. 

“Understood. When do you leave today?” Malfoy asked getting up from his chair and moving to the door. Harry looked it with a wordless and wandless spell. 

“I am set to leave on time for once, but I have to ask you, and knowing you- you know what it is.” He waited for Malfoy to turn around. “Why are you doing this?” 

He waited and paid close attention to the blond haired man that had someone wheedled his way into Harry’s daily life, he wouldn’t have considered them friends, before today more work acquaintances that had lunch together occasionally and worked well together. But this morning after Malfoy had said they were friends, it had been rolling around in his head and needed an answer. 

“Because he deserves happiness.” Malfoy ran his hand through his perfectly coiffed hair, and that above all else sold his truth to Harry. “Look, you both do. You are so bloody good and you don’t see things on offer because you are too afraid that they are on offer for the wrong reasons. So you stop looking. And he doesn’t look because he doesn’t think that anyone will ever see past his death eater past, regardless of the outcome or the shiny order of merlin he wears. You are both so bloody righteous and so needy it very nearly makes me ill.” He moved to the fireplace and rested his head against the mantle. “I have Astoria, and I wouldn’t know what life would be like without her. She is everything to me. She helps me when the world is dark and keeps it bright when I can’t hardly see for the sun. You both could use that.” He turned on his heel and made for the door. “I will have your entrance for you in the hour if you will unlock this door, Potter.”

“Malfoy… Draco. After all this, regardless of how it turns out. I would love for you and Astoria to come over for a proper dinner. I would love to meet her, I haven’t since Hogwarts and I realize now that this is an error on my part. I would like to meet the woman that softened the sharp edges of your youth.” Harry said, waiting for the other man to look his way. 

“That, that could be arraigned, Pot- Harry.” 

Harry unlocked the door and watched as Malfoy all but ran out in haste. The awkwardness surely having crashed down on the normally tightly sprung man. 

Just as Harry was clearing off his desk for the day, a paper plane flew in from the doorway and landed on his desk. The gold filigree on the garish green parchment indicating immediately who it was from. ‘You’ve been summarily invited to the Lady Veronica. Please arrive at 1830 sharp to sign the privacy parchments.’

Harry let out a ‘whoop!’ And ran for the floo. He had less time than the originally intended and needed to be prepared. 

He flew through the shower and shaved as slowly as possible. His royal blue button up, sleeves rolled up at the forearm the way he knew looked best and charcoal grey slacks fitting him perfectly. He ran a hand through his hair, and hoped for the best. 

He apparated to the point on the alleyway outside the building and walked in precisely at 1830, “Hello, I received this invite and was told to be here to fill out some privacy parchments.” 

The lovely old woman behind the counter took all his information, walked him through the privacy policies of the establishment and helped him get a card that he could use for future use. She never once uttered his name and never gave him differential treatment, and immediately Harry knew that he liked her. 

“The bar is through these doors here, take some time to explore and if you need assistance, a simple flick of your wrist and an elf will be there immediately.” 

“Do you, by chance, know where the reading room is located?” 

“Ah, we have three different reading rooms, all are located on the third floor. The Red Room is historical and mythological works. The Black Room has news from today and a small bar. The Green room is all other works of literature.” 

“Very well, thank you very much –“ Harry stopped and made to look for her name tag. 

“The name is Merril.”

“Thank you very much Merril, the honor is mine.” He said and gave her a soft bow. 

He moved towards the double doors that lead to the staircase and breathed through his nerves, his heart could have woken a hoard of snakes and he was sure that he would be able to woo them with his heat he was putting off. 

He read the print over the doors locating the Black Room, in no time. He entered and was greeted with wizard space. A long room of nearly 60 feet in length with a full bar along one side and no less than three fire places along the other wall. He tried to take in all of the opulence, but was assaulted with the array of bookshelves that were on offer. He would have to come here some time to do more than put his heart on the line. 

He moved to the bar and caught the barman’s eye, “Hello there, sir, what can I get for you this evening?” 

“Two fingers of firewhiskey. And another of whatever that gentleman over there is having.” 

“Ah, that wouldn’t be a wise move, Sir. That gentlemen doesn’t take anything offered by strangers.”

“Fair enough, how about whatever he orders next is on me?” he replied and was rewarded with a smile that gave him hope. 

“Seems like you know what you’re about. Here is your drink, Sir.” Harry took his glass and turned… taking his time to look his fill. 

The long, dark, straight hair was tied behind Snapes head at the nape with a string. His glasses were perched on the edge of his nose, and he was scanning a newspaper with nearly single minded determination to learn everything. His long legs were out in front of him straight and crossed at the ankle, and he was rubbing his forefinger along the rim of his glass that was perched on one of the chair side tables. 

Harry felt himself calm down. He knew that he was going to give this a fair shot, he was already here and he had to try. Squaring his shoulders he moved forward at the last second seeing a man walk up and sit in the chair next to Snape. He deftly moved to another table and sat down, making sure to keep an eye on the situation. The man didn’t move to leave and he and Snape struck up a conversation. They seemed to be having a meeting of the minds, and as the minutes passed by, Harry watched with more and more dejection as his chance was slipping away. The man ordered another drink, and Harry noticed that Snape did as well. And when he was notified that the tab had been resolved for the drink, he looked confused and looked at his partner. 

Feeling the embarrassment slide up to his chest, he downed his drink and got up. He noticed the man deny having purchased Snapes drink and Snape asking the barman for the name of whoever did. But he didn’t stop to see what happened next. He just left. He had one chance and he had waited too long taking a look, to get over and sit down and have a conversation. He made it to the bottom of the flight of stairs and nodded to Merril who smiled and looked at him curiously. He called for his coat to be brought to him and waited impatiently while it was fetched from the closet. 

“Sir, did you buy my drink?” Harry heard Snape from the top of the stairs, and in a panic he turned and left without his coat. He ran into the sidewalk and took off at a brisk pace, just walking towards a direction away from the awkward, away from the rejection, away from the uncomfortable place where hope collided with acknowledgement. He wasn’t going to win the man and he should have known. 

He knew that he wasn’t cultured, or intelligent, or talented enough. He knew that he wasn’t the most handsome bloke in existence and he knew that he wasn’t what Snape wanted. Maybe Draco had gotten it wrong. Harry half smiled half chuckled depressively, he trusted that Draco had meant his best, but Harry had flummoxed this one up squarely. 

He took a corner and found himself at Hyde Park and Kensington. He was chilled but not overly cold and a swift hidden warming charm had him fine in no time. He had to walk off the anxiety before it clawed at his throat. He was so close tonight, and instead of being the brave Gryffindor he was, he had been the timid Hufflepuff. 

“Sir, I will not follow you all over bloody England. Show yourself to me at once!” Harry stopped in his path and felt the blood rush to his ears, Snape had followed him. He was behind him and he was waiting for Harry to announce who he was. He had two options, Apparate home or show himself. 

He was a Gryffindor after all. 

“Hello, Sir. It is just me, sorry.” He turned around and steeled himself for ridicule. 

“Potter? What were you doing in the Lady Veronica? And why were you buying me a drink?” Harry watched as Snape moved closer and he felt his resolve slowly slip down a notch. 

“Well, you see, I heard that you go there on Monday nights, and being that I myself am queer, I thought that it sounded like a good place to go out of the public eye, and if you frequent it, it must not be bad. And then I saw you, and I thought that I would be nice and all, and try to buy you a drink but the barman was saying that you don’t take drinks from strangers, so I just told him to put the next one on me, you see. And I was going to go and say a proper hello, but another bloke sat down and you were both talking and I realized that you couldn’t possibly want to be disturbed by me of all people. Not with someone that was providing you stimulating conversation instead of whatever would come out of my mouth. So I moved to leave, but you caught me as I was making clean my escape, and honestly I know that you couldn’t possibly be interested in me, look I know that, so if we could just skip the ridicule and you just let me go home and we could just literally act like this didn’t happen. And I can go back to saying hello in the passageway at work and you could just keep acting like I don’t exist that would be fine. Honestly, it’s been working for both of us so far, and why change the status quo, you know? I didn’t mean to intrude on your peaceful evening and I will just go home, thank you.”

Harry turned and caught his breath as a hand caught his forearm. “Do not propose to speak for me, Potter. It would do you well to breathe when you babble and let another person speak if you wish for conversation.”

Harry felt himself being turned around and he went with it. Honestly, after his diatribe, he was prepared for the worst. He knew that it couldn’t possibly be worse than laying it all on the line and not hearing a positive in return. He steeled himself for the snide remarks and made a mental note to purchase wine on the way home. 

“Pay attention, you fool. I wish to say this once, as you’ve so clearly indicated your thoughts on the matter, then I feel it is my duty to clear up this situation.” Snape waited until Harry looked him in the eye and Harry nodded, trying to steady his heart and his breathing while being this close to Snape was difficult at best, and with the situation as it was, it was not the best.

“I would like to share a drink with you. You happened to catch a most inopportune moment where a casual acquaintance sat down to share a moment of my time. That is not someone that I am interested in, nor have I ever been interested in them. If I hadn’t given you chase all over England this evening, you would have seen the gentleman that was sitting with me, leave very shortly after ordering his drink to have a date with his paramour. I am saying this to you, because though I am sure you didn’t mean for it to be this way, you have just displayed your Gryffindor courage at the last step and I find that the only way to appease you is to display my desire in the only way that I see will bring you from the fit of anxiety that I can see boiling under the surface.” 

He moved so quick that Harry didn’t know what happened, but the next thing he knew he was in the tight grasp of Snape and he had never felt so warm in his life. He looked up and in that moment he knew that Snape was giving him an out. He was pausing, in the case that he himself had read the situation wrong. Harry nodded ever so slightly, and with that Snape swooped in. His mouth devouring Harry like a man feasting on the finest of delicacies. He was lost in the sensation of being wrapped tightly against the cool air of an England Spring. He was being swept up in the tides of warm lips, hot tongue, and clashing teeth. He held firm with his hands, on Snape shoulders, and didn’t stop to breathe, he reckoned if he died in this moment, it would be a death worth his life. 

It ended far too soon and having not had his fill he felt the whimper escape his lips before he could consciously hold it back. 

“My Little Lion, what am I going to do with you?” 

Harry felt the warmth bubble up within him and the blush hit his cheeks in a way that he knew he couldn’t hide. 

“Does this mean, that I didn’t bollox this up too bad, this evening?” Harry asked, his normally confident demeanor, more subdued in the strength of this man. 

“No.” He watched as Snape leaned in to his ear, and whispered, “Why don’t we get a drink, have a conversation and possibly a meal, and see where this goes?” 

He felt the shiver run through his body and he very nearly whimpered again. He had never been submissive before but in this moment, all he wanted was to be taken in the storm and eaten alive. 

“That sounds reasonable, S…” he looked up in the eyes of the enigmatic man and smiled “Severus.” 

“Impudent boy, I might have to teach you manners.” He smiled again as the warm mouth covered his, and closed his eyes. This wasn’t how he had planned this evening to go, but it was by far the best outcome that he could have hoped for.

**Author's Note:**

> It's been far too long since I got the muse. Not Beta'd except by me. All errors are mine. Please comment and Kudos. I miss you all, my lovelies. -Jacks


End file.
